Editing Laundry (section)

== Common problems ==
[[File:NewBritainUnderwearWashingDirections.jpg|thumb|Directions for hand-washing New Britain Standard Hygienic Underwear, circa 1915]]

Novice users of modern laundry machines sometimes experience accidental [[Shrinkage (fabric)|shrinkage]] of garments, especially when applying heat. For wool garments, this is due to scales on the fibers, which heat and agitation cause to stick together. Other fabrics (like cotton) have their fibers stretched by mechanical force during production, and can shrink slightly when heated (though to a lesser degree than wool). Some clothes are "pre-shrunk" to avoid this problem.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98759520|title=Why Clothes Shrink|website=NPR.org}}</ref>

Another common problem is color bleeding from dyed articles to white or pale-colored ones. Many laundry guides suggest washing whites separately from colored items.<ref>{{cite web | title=Your Guide to Washing Clothes, Including How to Keep Whites Bright and Darks from Fading | website=Martha Stewart | date=February 14, 2011 | url=https://www.marthastewart.com/267832/the-wash-cycle | access-date=March 30, 2021}}</ref> Sometimes only similar colors are washed together to avoid this problem, which is lessened by cold water and repeated washings. Sometimes this blending of colors is seen as a [[selling point]], as with [[Madras (cloth)|madras cloth]].

[[Laundry symbol]]s are included on many clothes to help consumers avoid these problems.

Synthetic fibers in laundry can also contribute to [[microplastic]] pollution.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1073/pnas.1504135112 |pmid=25944930 |pmc=4426466 |title=News Feature: Microplastics present pollution puzzle |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=112 |issue=18 |pages=5547–5549 |year=2015 |last1=Katsnelson |first1=Alla |bibcode=2015PNAS..112.5547K |doi-access=free }}</ref>